Chapter 1: Definition and Characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis

An Overview of Applied Behavior Analysis1 ABAIs an extension of Experimental Analysis of Behavior to applied settingsIs not the same as behavior modificationUses cognition in its approachFocuses on clinically or socially relevant behaviors Is used in many settingsMedicineEducationBusinessRehabilitationMain focusBehavior management for youth disorders or problemsInterventionsPrimarily focus on antecedents and consequences that alter behaviorCognitive aspects are not emphasizedbeliefs, perceptions, thoughts, expectationsInterventions focus on overt behavior. Before, during, following a behaviorPrimarily uses operant conditioning techniquesUses experimental and quasi-experimental techniquesHistory of ABALate 1800s and Early 1900s

Sensory Psychology Dominated by focus on sensory processesHelmholtz, Weber, Fechner and othersVision, Audition, Perceptual processes etc.

States of consciousness, images, & other mental processesStructuralism, Functionalism, etc. Wundt, James and othersClinicalFreud and others

Experimental Thorndike

Mentalistic Approachs

Assumes that a mental or inner dimension exists that differs from a behavioral dimension Mental phenomena directly cause or mediate some forms of behavior

Dominated Western intellectual thought & most psychological theories (e.g. Descartes, Freud, Piaget)Still occurs in context of cognitive psychology todayStructuralism

Wundt, Titchner, WertheimerRejected all events that were not operationally defined by objective assessmentUsed IntrospectionRestricted activities to descriptions of behaviorMade no scientific manipulationsDid not address causal questionsWatsonFounder of School of BehaviorismWrote a Landmark Paper: Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it.Changed the direction of PsychologyArgued that subject matter for psychology should be the study of observable behavior, not states of mind or mental processes

Created foundation for the study of behavior as a natural scienceCreated the groundwork for the Neo-BehavioristsABA Comes From Three Areas

BehaviorismPhilosophy of the science of behaviorWatson and Others

Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)Basic research in the study of behaviorSkinner and others

Introduction of Journal Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)Development of a technology for improving behaviorCan only be understood in the context of the philosophy & basic research traditions & findingsExperimental Analysis of BehaviorB.F. Skinners The Behavior of Organisms (1938/1966)Formally began the experimental branch of behavior analysisSummarized his laboratory research from 1930-1937Discussed two types of behaviorRespondentOperantRespondent Behavior

Reflexive behaviorIvan Pavlov (1927/1960)Respondents are elicited (brought out) by stimuli that immediately precede themAntecedent stimulus & response it elicits form a functional unit called a reflexInvoluntary responsesOccur whenever eliciting stimulus is presentS-S-R Model (CC) or S-R model (Instrumental Cond.)Operant BehaviorThorndike began basic idea.Skinner Developed and Identified SpecificallyBehavior is shaped through the consequences that immediately follow itThree term contingencyS-R-S modelBehaviors that are influenced by stimulus changes that have followed the behavior in the past

Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)Named as a new science by SkinnerOutlined specific methodology for its practice:The rate or frequency of response is the most common dependent variableRepeated or continuous measurement is made of carefully defined response classesWithin-subject experimental comparisons are used instead of designs comparing the behavior of experimental & control groupsVisual analysis of graphed data is preferred over statistical inferenceA description of functional relations is valued over formal theory testing

Skinner & colleagues Conducted many laboratory experiments between the 1930s -1950s Discovered & verified basic principles of operant behaviorSame principles continue to provide the empirical foundation for behavior analysis todaySkinnerWrote extensivelyVery influential in the guiding practice of the science of behavior & in proposing the application of the principles of behavior to new areasWalden Two (1948)Science and Human Behavior (1953)About Behaviorism (1974)Philosophy of science became known as radical behaviorismContrast with methodological behaviorismMethodological Behaviorism

Considers behavioral events that cannot be publicly observed to be outside the realm of the scienceRejects all events that are not operationally defined by objective assessmentDeny existence of inner variables or consider them outside the realm of scientific accountAcknowledge the existence of mental events but do not consider them in the analysis of behaviorUse scientific manipulations to search for functional relationships between eventsRestrictive view since it ignores major areas of importance (cognition)

Skinner

Radical Behaviorism

Did not object to cognitive psychologys concern with thoughts & feelings (i.e. events taking place inside the skin)Referred to these as private events

Considered them to be behavior and analyzed with the same conceptual & experimental tools used to analyze publicly observable behavior

Three Assumptions About Private Events

Private events such as thoughts and feelings are behaviorBehavior that takes place within the skin is distinguished from other (public) behavior only by its inaccessibilityPrivate behavior has no special properties & is influenced by (i.e. is a function of) the same kinds of variables as publicly accessible behaviorDevelopment of Applied Behavior AnalysisRadical behaviorism (Skinners behaviorism)Includes & seeks to understand all human behaviorFar-reaching & thoroughgoingDramatic departure from other conceptual systemsOther ContributersFuller (1949) One of the first studies to report the human application of operant behaviorParticipant: 18-year-old boy with profound mental retardation Arm-raising response was conditioned by injecting a small amount of a warm sugar-milk solution into participants mouth every time he moved his right arm

Ayllon & Michael (1959)

The Psychiatric Nurse as a Behavioral EngineerFormed the basis for branch of behavior analysis that would later be called Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)Described techniques based on principles of behavior to improve the functioning of chronic psychotic or mentally retarded residents1960s

Researchers began to apply principles of behavior to improve socially important behavior

Techniques for measuring behavior & controlling & manipulating variables were sometimes unavailable, or inappropriate

Little funding was available

No ready outlet for publishing studiesDifficult to communicate findingsMany Applications Were MadeEducation is a major area of impact

Provided the foundation for:behavioral approaches to curriculum designinstructional methodsclassroom managementgeneralization and maintenance of learning1968Formal beginning of ABAJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) began publicationFirst journal in U.S. To deal with applied problems Gave researchers an outlet for publishing their findingsFlagship journal of ABA

Baer, Wolf, & RisleyFounding fathers of the new discipline (ABA)Paper Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis Defined the criteria for judging adequacy of research & practice in ABA & outlined the scope of work for those in the scienceMost widely cited publication in ABA Remains standard description of the discipline

Seven Defining Dimensions For research or behavior change programs:AppliedBehavioralAnalyticTechnologicalConceptualEffectiveGeneralityApplied

Investigates socially significant behaviors with immediate importance to the participant(s)Behavior Examples include:SocialLanguageAcademicDaily livingSelf-careVocationalRecreation and/or leisureBehavioral

Need precise measurement of the actual behavior Need to document that it was the participants behavior changed

Key: The behavior is in need of improvement and it is a study of behavior (not about behavior)Analytic

Demonstrates experimental control over the occurrence and non-occurrence of the behavior Functional relationships are demonstratedAlso needs to be replicableTechnological

Written description of all procedures in the study is sufficiently complete and detailed to enable others to replicate itAll operative procedures are identified and described in detail & clarityReplicable technology Conceptually Systematic

Behavior change interventions are derived from basic principles of behaviorAllows research consumers to derive other similar procedures from the same principle(s)Assists in integrating discipline into a system instead of creating a collection of tricks

Effective

Improves behavior sufficiently to produce practical results for the participant(s)Improvements in behavior must reach clinical or social significanceExtent to which changes in the target behavior(s) result in noticeable changesGenerality

Produces behavior changes that last over timeOR appear in other environments (other than the one in which intervention was implemented)OR spread to other behaviors (those not directly treated by the intervention)

Additional CharacteristicsAccountable

Created by the focus on Accessible environmental variables that reliably influence behaviorReliance on direct & frequent measurement to detect changes in behaviorDetect successes and failuresAllow changes to be madePublic

Visible, explicit, & straightforwardOf value across a very broad spectrum of fieldsDoable

Not prohibitively complicated or arduousVariety of individuals are able to implement principles and interventionsInvolves more than learning to do some proceduresEmpowering

Provides practitioners with real tools that workRaises confidenceIncreases confidence for future challenges

Optimistic

Possibilities for each individual (Strain et al., 1992)Detect small improvementsPositive outcomes yield a more optimistic attitude about future successesPeer-reviewed literature provides many examples of successSummaryApplied behavior analysis is:A scientific approach to improving socially significant behaviorIn which procedures derived from the principles of behavior are systematically applied to improve socially significant behaviorAnd to demonstrate experimentally that the procedures employed were responsible for the improvement in behavior

Six Key Components of ABA

Guided by attitudes of methods of scientific inquiryAll behavior change procedures are described & implemented in a systematic, technological mannerOnly procedures conceptually derived from the basic principles of behavior are circumscribed by the fieldFocus is socially significant behaviorSeeks to make meaningful improvement in important behavior Seeks to produce an analysis of the factors responsible for improvementDomains of Behavior Analytic ScienceFour domains BehaviorismExperimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)Professional practiceBehavior analysts may work in one or more of the four domainsDomains are very interrelated & influence one anotherBehaviorism

Pursues theoretical & philosophical issuesConceptual basis of behavior principles as it relates across many spectrums

Experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)

Does basic researchExperiments in laboratory settings with both human participants and nonhuman subjectsGoal of discovering & clarifying fundamental principles of behaviorApplied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Does applied researchExperiments are aimed at discovering & clarifying functional relations between socially significant behavior & its controlling variablesDesire to contribute to further development of a humane & effective technology of behavior changeProfessional practice

Providing behavior analytic services to consumersDesign, implement, & evaluate behavior change programsDiscovered by basic researchersExperimentally validated for their effects on socially significant behavior by applied researchers

ConclusionsLots of aspects to ABAHas lots of applicabilityHas a solid theoretical coreHas made lots of contributions to helping people and organizations